


The End of an Era

by signed_aj



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Graduation, Karasuno Family, POV Tanaka Ryuunosuke, They're very loud, so much crying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29067387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/signed_aj/pseuds/signed_aj
Summary: The day the third years finally graduated and how the rest of the team cried like babies the whole time.
Kudos: 17





	The End of an Era

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of a Tanaka/Kiyoko fic that I'm writing, but I felt like it'd be good by itself too.

The day the third years graduated, the entirety of the volleyball team cried like babies (Tsukishima limited to Hinata pointing out that his eyes were glossy and getting shoved out of his seat while Yamaguchi laughed through his sobs). 

When Asahi was called to the stage, their small section of the auditorium broke into screams so loud that people on the other side of the room were staring at them as if they couldn’t believe a group of nine boys, a teacher, a coach, and Yachi could make so much noise. 

They could see Asahi smile sheepishly in their direction, cheeks burning red from the attention. Nishinoya jumped up and down at Tanaka’s side, screaming himself hoarse. 

“That’s my boyfriend! He’s so pretty, oh my god!” he yelled, tears streaming down his face. The moment that he was off the stage, Nishinoya collapsed against Tanaka, sobbing into his chest. “Oh, what am I gonna do when he leaves for college?” 

“He’s going like twenty minutes away,” Tanaka snorted, hugging him despite this. He couldn’t deny the way his face was probably shining with tears like many of the others. “He’s staying in Miyagi just for you!” 

“I’m so lucky,” he cried. 

They cheered for Michimiya, making her blush along with some of the other players from the girl’s volleyball team, but resorted to simple claps like the rest of the auditorium for nearly everyone else. They’d almost entirely whined down by the time they started calling ‘S’ names to the stage. 

“Sawamura Daichi,” the principal called, and Daichi stepped onto the stage. He nearly jumped when the team’s cheering erupted once again. He glared up at them like he did when they were being rambunctious at tournaments, though it softened after a moment and he smiled, only making them cheer more. 

“Way to go, Cap!” Tanaka yelled.

“We love you, Daichi!” Hinata screamed.

Kageyama punched him in the shoulder. “Don’t say weird things, dumbass.”

Tanaka could feel his skin starting to heat up as they continued through people. Nishinoya was repeating the first few letters of the alphabet over and over again to try to figure out when Kiyoko would be called, while Yachi was practically vibrating on Tanaka’s other side. 

“Don’t have an aneurysm, Yach,” he said, ruffling her hair. She looked up at him with tears already forming in her eyes. Her bottom lip bobbled, and he chuckled, pulling her into his side. “You’re gonna be a great manager, kiddo. Kiyoko couldn’t have picked a better successor.” 

This properly sent her over the edge. She was nearly wailing when Shimizu Kiyoko was called to the stage. Yamaguchi handed her a water bottle that she squeezed so tight it looked ready to explode, and Tanaka couldn’t even blame her. 

Kiyoko looked beautiful walking across the stage. She smiled brightly up to where the team was screaming so loud that they nearly drowned the rest of the auditorium out around them. Tanaka’s throat was starting to burn from how loud he was yelling for her. Nishinoya was bouncing again, waving his hands excitedly until Kiyoko raised a hand to all of them before stepping off the stage again. 

Despite the amount of pride and excitement he got from the third years finally moving on to the next part of their lives, Tanaka felt a sense of dread on top of everything. It was like a part of him was already missing and Sugawara hadn’t even walked yet. Graduation wasn’t over yet. They weren’t done yet. But he was still lacking in something. It felt like someone had carved out a significant chunk of his heart and left it back at their last game all together. The last game where Daichi would be there to receive, Asahi would be there to be their ace, Sugawara would stand on the sidelines to cheer them on, and Kiyoko’s eyes would watch every play, mapping out every move they made. 

“Sugawara Koushi.”

This cheer was the loudest yet. Tanaka had a feeling it was because they were all feeling the same thing he was. 

This proved true the second Sugawara stepped off the stage, and the team lulled into a tense silence. It was the end of an era. They were closing the chapter on one of the best Karasuno Volleyball Teams in the history of the school. 

The rest of the graduates came, and the team was still silent aside from sniffling and muffled sobs. They weren’t jumping up and down or clapping anymore. In fact, most of them had taken their seats again aside from Takeda, who continued to cheer for all the students that he’d had over the years. 

Tanaka stared up at the ceiling, willing himself to stop the seemingly never ending tears from slipping down his cheeks.

As much as none of them wanted to admit it, it was really over. 


End file.
